Ali Baba And The Forthy Theives Manual

All
the fortvj thieves
APPLE VERSION
By Stuart Smith
SOFTWARE
Published by Quality Software
Copyright© 1982 by Quality Software
No part of this publication may be reproduced
without prior written consent
LOADING THE ALI BABA DISKETTE
ALI BABA will run on any Apple II or Apple II Plus that has at least
48K of user memory. Power off the computer, then
1. Insert the ALI BABA diskette into drive 1.
2. Turn on the video and the computer.
3. A successful load of the program will result in an "attract mode", which consists of animated characters
moving to the music of AM Baba. To start your adventure, press the space bar.
CAUTION: The ALI BABA diskette cannot be copied and attempting
to put DOS on it will destroy the program on the diskette. If your
diskette should ever fail, it will be replaced promptly by Quality
Software. Please read the replacement policy below.
REPLACEMENT POLICY
ALI BABA is provided on a high quality diskette that should give
you trouble free usage for many years. If the diskette should fail,
simply return it for replacement to Quality Software, 6660 Reseda
Boulevard, Suite 105, Reseda, CA 91335. If you have owned the
diskette for less than 90 days, include your receipt and there will be
no charge. Otherwise there is a charge of $5.00. Outside North
America add $5.00 for air mail shipping and handling.
To Play ALI BABA, follow the
directions that appear on the
video. The game is self-explanatory.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO READ
THE REST OF THIS BOOKLET
TO PLAY ALI BABA!!!
(but it might help!)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LOADING INSTRUCTIONS
2
STORY OF ALI BABA
4
PLAYING THE GAME
Goals
Playing Options
Movement
Fighting
Trading
5
5
10
10
11
THE WORLD OF ALI BABA
Things
Players
Monsters
12
12
15
BATTLE SPECIFICATIONS
Strike probability
Strike Force
Strike Effects
Tackling a foe
18
18
18
19
CHARACTER TABLES.
20
PLAYING THE GAME
THE STORY OF ALI BABA
Red shone the dawning sun over the terrorized dominion of Sultan
Shahriar. Led by the cunning cutthroat Cogia Houssain, a merciless band of
thieves had been stealing much of the land's wealth. Emboldened by the
discovery of a secret cave, promptly converted into the brigands'
stronghold, the thieves' raids had lately become especially daring.
Rising from a restless sleep, AM Baba peered through the tent flap at a
glowing orange sun. A dream of an inner staircase to a mountain within a
mountain and a beautiful princess faded quickly from his memory, leaving
an uneasy feeling of things gone wrong.
The hot yellow sun beat down on the dusty road as AM Baba emerged
from his humble tent. Jogging along to the palace, AM felt proud of his
strong young legs, but he could not keep from thinking again of how
glorious it would be to own fine weapons and serve in the Sultan's militia instead of serving the Sultan as his trusted messenger. When AM arrived, the
Sultan shouted in agitation, "May Allah have mercy on this wretched father,
there are traitors in my midst. The Princess Buddir al-Buddoor has been kidnapped! Tell the elite corps immediately!" AM Baba ran to do the Shahriar's
bidding.
Green grew the bushes of the earth slopes where AM hid in safety. After
spreading the sad news, he had struck out on his own courageous search
for the fair princess. Sometimes waiting for mindless creatures to wander
out of his way, sometimes running for his life, AM made it past several
dangers into the deeps of the mountain. Entering a room with a vicious
beast too speedy to outrun, he dodged up a blind alley to confuse the
enemy's pursuit. Barely evading the ravenous jaws, he scurried through to a
strange room. Before long, he found himself unexpectedly with the
princess. Her grateful embrace renewed Ali's flagging spirits. Pursued by
thieves who snuck unnoticed into his presence, AM and the Sultan's
beautiful progeny dashed off through little known and dimly remembered
passageways.
The sky was still blue as they burst out onto the surface once more. The
dust from an almost deadly cave-in settled over the landscape. The sun
began to set and AM Baba remembered with frighteningly vivid detail what
the just but merciless Sultan had done with another messenger who had
spent a night with the princess' younger sister.
The atmosphere turned a brooding indigo as the desperate pair raced for
home. The princess, fleet of royal foot, lightly skimmed over the roadways
and byways as their rapid pace brought them safely past slowly awakening
nocturnal beasts. From the shadows of the deepening dark came the distant cries of creatures of the night.
Deep violet clouds concealed their approach to town. Lifting his hand to
knock on the heavily bolted palace door, the sultry air brought to Ali's mind
the Sultan's cry of 'traitors.' Ali Baba impulsively turned around and hid the
princess in his tent. The Sultan was promptly told of the daring rescue, and
he rewarded Ali Baba richly for his great courage and wisdom.
4
Goals
Can you do as well as Ali Baba did? He rescued the princess without harming a living thing (nor allowing the princess to do so) and without adding
any other players to help him. This is a very difficult way to win the game. If
you succeed, you will receive the author's "personal congratulations."
It is somewhat easier to win if Ali Baba and those he rescues are permitted to fight while they search for Princess Buddir. If this is your strategy, Ali
Baba would do well to purchase good weapons as soon as possible.
Ali Baba may add additional player-characters to help him and may even
retire from the game himself, leaving the others of the elite corps to rescue
the princess. You and your friends control the player-characters that are added, and if you wish, you may reincarnate any player-characters that don't
survive an encounter. Even a large group will find it challenging to rescue
the princess.
Initially, you will probably want to just add a few characters and explore
Ali Baba's world in search of wealth, improved weaponry, and better
knowledge.
Playing Options
I—CONTINUE A PREVIOUS GAME
M—BEGIN NEW GAME
Press the M key to begin a new game.
Press the I key only if you have played Ali Baba before and have
previously saved your game on disk. Carefully follow the computer's instructions.
Pressing the RESET key will return you to this option, but pressing the M
key will merely continue the current adventure. To start over from the beginning, you must reboot the ALI BABA diskette. On some older Apple II computers, pressing RESET will destroy the game in progress, and you will have
to reboot ALI BABA.
I-USE KEYBOARD FOR INPUT
M—USE PADDLES
Press the I key if you do not have or do not wish to use paddles. If you
have paddles and wish to use them, press the M key.
5
If you select the keyboard option, every input to the computer will be
made by a single keypress. There is no need to press RETURN.
If you select the paddle option, a series of runes will be displayed that explain the paddle rules. We repeat the rules here:
1. Instead of using a key on the keyboard, rotate the paddle until
your choice is highlighted in inverse type.
2. Depressing the paddle button selects the choice that is
highlighted.
3. If you add a new player, you will have to specify which paddle
controls the player. Paddles are numbered 0 and 1.
4. AM Baba is controlled by paddle 0. Rescued players are controlled by the paddle of their rescuer.
Notice that rule 2 means that, when a player is being moved, the paddle button must be released and repressed for each square that the player moves.
This prevents accidental crashing into,walls and other harmful moves. In
the paddle mode, long runes can be paged through using the paddle button
rather than by pressing the space bar.
From this point on, these instructions assume that you have selected the
keyboard mode. If the paddle mode was selected, the messages will be the
same except that the letters I, J, K, and L will not appear and one choice will
be highlighted in inverse type.
I—SPECIAL OPTIONS
REST-J
I-UP
LEFT-J
S-STOP
K-RIGHT
M-DOWN
When you select BEGIN MOVE, you will be allowed to move your player
up, down, right or left by making the appropriate selection. Press the S key
to stop before your "run" is over.
I—ATTACK
M-DEFEND
Select the I key to attack an enemy or an object. If you make this
selection and you share your space with any enemies, you must attack one
of them. If you do not share your space with an enemy, you must select
which direction to attack. See the FIGHTING section for details.
The DEFEND option means you do not wish to attack and reduces your
chances of being struck.
K-DROP GOLD OR ARMOR
M—BEGIN MOVE
Normally, you will press the M key to begin your move.
The REST option will only be displayed if you are wounded and if you are
not too close to a dangerous foe. Press the J key to lay down for a
short rest. You will have a fifty-fifty chance of recuperating. If wounded
severely, you have to rest several times to regain your full strength.
Press the I key to exercise one of the special options. These permit
you to add player-characters, retire your own player-character, save a copy
of the game on disk, or alter the frequency of appearance of wandering
monsters.
Press the K key to discard your armor or some of your gold.
I—OTHER OPTIONS
SEE YOUR LOT—J
K-ADD PLAYER
M-RETURN
Press the M key to continue playing the game.
Press the I key for other options (change difficulty, save game, or
retire.)
Press the K key to add a player.
Press the J key for a display of the current player's lot. His life force,
wealth, armor, strength, speed, dexterity, and weapon capability will be
displayed. Any keypress will exit the display and allow you to select your
move.
7
MONSTER REBIRTH RATE-(rate)
I—NEW PLAYER STARTS IN THIS ROOM
M —NEW PLAYER STARTS IN FIRST ROOM
FEWER MONSTERS—J
K-MORE MONSTERS
M —RETURN
If you choose to add a player and you are not in AN Baba's home, you may
choose if you wish the new player to start in the current room (I key) or back
in AM Baba's home (M key).
The rebirth rate determines how often wandering monsters appear and
doors slam shut. Use the J and K keys to adjust the monster rebirth rate,
and then select RETURN. High rebirth rates make the game more difficult.
I—ADD (name)
K-ADD SOMEONE ELSE
TYPE IN SCENARIO NUMBER:
ESC TO CANCEL REQUEST
M —RETURN
Pressing the I key will place the indicated player at a random spot
within the room. Sometimes a new player may miss a turn while recovering
from his mystical materialization.
Pressing the K key will cause the same menu to return but with a different
character to add.
Select RETURN if you have changed your mind and do not wish to add a
character at this time.
I—CHANGE DIFFICULTY
SAVE GAME—J
K—RETIRE
M—RETURN
Press the I key if you want to make the game either easier or more difficult by changing the monster rebirth rate.
Press the J key to save the current game. The current game situation may
be saved either on the AM Baba diskette itself or on a separate diskette that
must be formatted by the AM Baba program. See further save game information on the next page.
The RETIRE option removes your player-character from the game!
Use the RETURN option if you do not wish any of these special options.
8
This menu appears both when you are saving a game and when you are
loading in a previous game. It gives you the opportunity to exit the save or
load command by pressing the ESC key. Otherwise type in a number from 1
to 24. If a number from 1 to 7 is selected, then the scenario will be saved to
or loaded from the AN Baba diskette itself. Numbers from 8 to 24 refer to
scenarios saved on a separate diskette. You will be asked to replace the AM
Baba diskette with the scenario diskette. If you are saving a scenario, you
will be asked if the diskette is already formatted. If not, the diskette will be
initialized before the scenario is saved. The scenario diskette cannot be used for any other purpose than saving AM Baba scenarios. Do not put DOS on
it.
I—PAY (price) FOR (weapon/armor)
K—BUY SOMETHING ELSE
M—NO SALE
Press the I key if you wish to purchase the indicated object. If you have
enough gold, the object will be sold to you. Your purchase will replace your
current armor or melee weapon or hand-to-hand weapon. See the section on
TRADING for a list of armor/weapon prices and characteristics.
Press the K key to see what else the trader has for sale.
Select NO SALE when your purchases are completed.
I—DROP ARMOR
K-DROP GOLD
M-RETURN
Dropping armor will increase your character's dexterity, but the dropped
armor cannot be recovered. See the section on TRADING for precise armor
dexterity handicaps.
If you drop gold, you must specify how much gold to leave. Dropped gold
can often be picked up later.
Select RETURN to continue play without dropping armor or gold.
Movement
When you are moving your player-character, you may continue moving
until you do one of the following:
1. Move onto any object except for an illusion (for example, a wall).
2. Move out of a room.
3. Move to any position where your neighboring enemies'
strength exceeds half your own. A nearby enemy that is down
on the ground will not stop you.
4. Move onto any conscious enemy.
5. Move the number of spaces that is your full running speed.
6. Select the STOP option (S key).
Each character has his own running speed. However, if you are in hand to
hand combat with an enemy (on the same space with them), then you will
only be able to move one space at most. Your opponent may prevent you
from moving at all. If you are next to enemies of sufficient strength to stop
your movement, they will also prevent you from retreating more than one.
You can only attack or defend if you move half your normal running
distance or less. If you move more than half your character's running speed,
the computer will assume you are running and will not allow you to attack
or defend.
Fighting
Whenever one character attacks another, the game will figure out
whether they miss or strike their target. It helps to be skillful. If you're
wrestling with an enemy, your relative strength is important. An unconscious foe is much easier to hit than one who is dodging. Large slow
beasts are better targets than small fast ones.
The force of a striking blow depends on your weapon's power, your
strength, and luck. See the TRADING section for weapon descriptions.
More detailed information on fighting may be found in the BATTLE
SPECIFICATIONS section.
10
Trading
When you locate and move to a trading outpost, you will be given an opportunity to purchase new weapons or armor.
Each player-character carries two weapons, a dagger or similar weapon
for hand to hand combat, and a sword, club or axe for combat with a neighboring enemy (called melee combat). Each player-character has at most one
suit of armor which will protect against attacks, but will reduce the dexterity of the player-character.
Here are attribute tables for purchasable weapons and armor:
Weapons
Iron sword
Steel sword
Oak Club
Steel dagger
Shiv
Armor
Plate Armor
Rithmil 5 plate
Chain mail
Rithmil chain
Leather armor
Base Cost1
Power2
100
500
30
150
100
8
9
5
4
7
Base Cost1
800
2000
400
1000
80
Strength3
weak
strong
strong
strong
weak
Effectiveness"
5
5
3
3
1
Type
melee
melee
melee
hand-to-hand
hand-to-hand
Dexterity decrease
(22%)
( 9%)
(16%)
( 6%)
( 6%)
Footnotes:
purchased on the surface level will have the base cost. Items purchased on deeper levels will be priced at double, triple or quadruple the
base cost.
2The power of the weapon is the average amount of damage it will inflict
when it strikes. Weapons purchased below the surface have greater
power, by from one to three points. The power of the weapon is also
increased by one for each 8 points of its wielder's strength. Thus, a steel
sword purchased on the deepest level by a character with the strength of
16 will have a power of 14.
3 Strong weapons break much less easily than do weak ones. (A 1 % chance
as compared to 8%.)
4 Armor reduces a blow's damage. Armor purchased below the surface is
more effective by from one to three points. Thus, fourth level rithmil plate
armor offers 8 points of protection (at a cost of 8000 ducats.)
5 'Rithmil' armor is a special strong lightweight armor. Its secret of manufacture is known only to master elvish blacksmiths.
11
1 ltems
THE WORLD OF ALI BABA
Dearest adventurer, let me tell you
what I know of Ali Baba's world.
—the friendly mage.
Things
First, I will give you a gift of limited vision. When you enter a new area of
Ali Baba's world, you will know the name of your place. A bright halo will illuminate the things around you as you look in their direction.
You will encounter foes and traps. They are relatively harmless as long as
you are careful and do not enter the mountain. When you enter the cavernous depths, your vision will perceive new colors warning you of your increased danger.
Do not try to cross the borders of the land. The Sultan has built strong
walls and the mountain rooms are hewn from granite. You can only hurt
yourself hitting a solid wall. Watch for the speckled walls, however! Some
of these are weak and can be destroyed by running into them repeatedly or
attacking them.
You will see rounded passages with strong oak timbers in a 'Z' shaped
construction. These doors must be bashed open. The stronger you are, the
easier this will be. An open door looks like a rounded passage or a gap in
the wall. Move through to the other side. You may not always be able to
return the way you came! Doors may also slam shut after being opened! I
have heard tales of invisible doors, too.
Treasure is usually guarded by monsters or traps, but you can buy
valuable weapons and armor with it. Heavy loads of gold will slow you
down. I have heard rumors of a magic pool which you can drink to increase
your strength and dexterity.
I suggest you read all of the runes you find. Their advice is usually worth
the risk. Enchanted runes may disappear after you read them, sometimes
with a dangerous fiery flash.
Look out for statues. Some are too solid to destroy but others can be toppled over and smashed to bits by charging into them or attacking them. A
few creatures can stand perfectly still and look just like statues.
As if that weren't bad enough, there are illusions to confuse you. You can
walk through any illusion without damage or hindrance. Many illusions will
dissolve into mist as soon as they are touched. A favorite trick of magicians
is to hide valuables beneath an illusion of empty space.
I know of one illusion of a statue concealing a treasure. You can get the
treasure by running through the statue, and then back to claim the treasure
now visible through the dispelled illusion's mist.
Players
You must know about the Sultan's elite corps of warriors. They are a
courageous but varied bunch. There are sixteen members of the elite corps
and Ali Baba himself to help.
Humans
The humans have a good overall dexterity and strength. Their average
running speed is eight. Most humans are well trained in the use of the
scimitar and wreak great damage with it, but they are less powerful using
12
their dagger in hand-to-hand combat. Thieves have had extensive training
with their daggers and are usually more lethal with them than with their
swords.
ABOU HASSAN is the only human who chooses to wear armor. He is considerably more dangerous with his sword than with his dagger. The armor
slows him down to a dwarf's speed and hampers his dexterity, but the arI
mor absorbs two points from each blow.
f
BAIRAM MEDIO is as average as any human can be. With no special
.i
talents, BAIRAM is well-balanced and generally a good man to have around.
\D EL-LARGE is the strongest human. His sheer bulk slows him
down and he is a bit clumsy. Although his sword isfardeadlierthan his dagger, he is known to often favor wrestling his foe. His strength makes up for
his lack of dexterity in hand-to-hand battles with weaker opponents.
SCHEHERAZADE is extremely skilled, and can outrun any other human.
She can often flee successfully from foes. However, her weakness makes it
difficult for her to open locked doors, and a single strong blow can
prematurely end her play. If forced to fight, she should avoid a wrestling
match and hope to destroy her foe before an unlucky blow strikes her.
Elves
Elves have an average speed of ten. They are generally weaker but more
skilled than humans. With their lithe movements, they have an uncanny
ability to dodge attacks. Most elves prefer the use of a rapier, with which
they can strike a foe frequently. However, the rapier does less damage than
the scimitar. The elves have an intimate knowledge of anatomy which permits them to be more devastating with their carefully placed dagger blows
than with their rapiers. However, a wise elf will avoid wrestling with a strong
opponent because their frailty hampers their hand to hand fighting with all
but the weakest foes. As partial compensation for their lack of strength,
elvish artisans have developed a lightweight armor made of rithmil, which
offers some protection without hampering movement.
CELEGORM is the prototype of a well rounded elf, average in all
characteristics, including the usual elves' light rithmil armor.
CURUFIN has elected to use heavy elvish chainmail. It slows him down to
a human's speed but absorbs three points of damage from each blow.
CURUFIN is otherwise an average elf, with slightly lessened dexterity from
his armor.
HUAN is the largest of the elves. He is slower and clumsier than others of
his race. However, he wears light rithmil armor and is difficult to hit. His
| dagger is even more dangerous than his lethal rapier, and his strength adds
'
to his skill in hand to hand battle.
LUTHIEN is fast even for an elf, and can easily outdistance any other
member of the elite corps. She is very dextrous but quite weak. Her strategy
must depend on escape and luck more than on battle. She is a hard target
to hit, like all elves, and wears light rithmil armor.
Halflings
Halflings are small but very hardy creatures. They are difficult for foes to
strike and their unusual constitution permits them to endure many hard
blows before they become weak, but once weakened, they never can be fully healed. They can easily keep up with the longer legged humans. Although
I
13
not terribly damaging with either their short sword or dagger, halflings handle both with great skill. Their relative weakness usually advises against
hand to hand combat for them. Halflings would do well to purchase better
weapons as soon as possible.
CINDER is moderately skillful, even with her two point armor, although
she is as slow as a dwarf. She is strong for a halfling and does wellremembered damage with her weapons.
ELDO is extremely dextrous but very weak, even for a halfling. With no armor, he depends heavily on his small size to avoid blows. A weak fighter,
ELDO is often relegated to such chores as exploring unknown territory or
drawing villains away from the main party.
MERRYWATER has average skill and strength for a halfling. She wears
no armor and can keep up with the average human. Because of her low
strength, she is usually most useful attacking a neighboring enemy who is
wrestling with one of her friends.
STILBO wears light armor, which makes him clumsy for a halfling,
although still more skillful than an average human. He is stronger than
other halflings and can deal some powerful blows with his weapons.
Dwarves
Dwarves are short stocky powerful creatures, but are not quick moving.
Their dexterity is generally low and their average running speed is only six.
Their expertise with the dwarvish war hammer makes them the most lethal
of the elite corps when they do connect a blow. They do considerably less
damage with their dagger blows, but will sometimes leap into a wrestling
bout anyway because their great strength often gives them a big edge in
hand to hand combat. Their hardy constitutions make them even harder to
kill than their strength would suggest, although resting cannot fully restore
their health.
JATTE is the Sultan's strongest warrior. Only a few denizens of the mountain can outwrestle him. He does more damage with a blow from his war
hammer than any other of the elite corps is able to do. Alas, his low dexterity makes such blows infrequent. His strength makes him a fearful hand to
hand fighter, although his dagger does no more damage than the stronger
halflings. Standing with friends, he can often repulse the advance of opponents and can usually leap onto any foe at will. His bulk makes him a
slower than average dwarf.
OG is of average strength and skill for a dwarf. He wears medium
strength armor which slows him down slightly. Although not a very powerful
dagger man, fair skill permits him to land some hefty hammer blows.
THORA moves at standard dwarf speed, even with her light armor. She is
quite strong and not too uncoordinated. Like all dwarves, THORA prefers to
attack a foe when they're down. It greatly improves her moderate chance of
connecting a solid blow with her war hammer.
ULVA wears heavy armor to protect herself. She is the slowest of the elite
corps, but can land ferocious blows. She is relatively skillful for a dwarf,
and is very willing to wrestle with weak foes.
Other Humans
There are some other humans, not members of Sultan's elite corps, you
may need to know about.
14
ABDALLA is not a very powerful human and not too skilled. Having flunked training as a Sultan's guard, he is a much better fighter than All Baba,
but is no more damaging than a weak halfling. He went off in search of his
master Cassim, but has failed to return. If the thieves have not yet finished
him off, he will gratefully help anyone who can rescue him.
All BABA is very dextrous, moderately strong, wears no armor, and
moves at normal human speed. He is untrained in the martial arts and carries no effective weapons. There are legends suggesting that he will someday rescue a princess without ever attacking a statue or living thing, nor accepting help from one who would.
MORGIANA is a very effective fighter. She is more skilled than any warrior of the elite corps. She is so agile that she is as difficult to hit as an elf or
halfling. Her strength is nothing to brag about and the force of her sword is
moderate. In a wrestling match, she can find her opponent's weakest spots
with a sly flick of the wrist. Sometimes a strong opponent can hold her off
for a turn or two, but her dagger attack is devastating when it strikes. She is
being held prisoner in the mountain and will gratefully serve her rescuers.
PRINCESS BUDDIR AL-BUDDOOR is the beautiful daughter of the
Sultan. She is quite agile but frail. Please protect her from all attacks. She
will fight for herself if forced to do so, but can do no more than scratch an
enemy with her fingernails. Against even a lightly armored foe, she is totally
harmless. She is well hidden in the mountain. If rescued she will follow
your guidance to safety.
Monsters
You will see a wide variety of creatures. Some are friendly and will fight
your enemies for you. Others have been imprisoned and will thank you for
rescuing them if you can find them. They will do whatever you want
thereafter. Some creatures do not want to fight and will run for the nearest
door. Most creatures are protecting their territory and will fight anybody
nearby not of their own species.
I will give you from my private library this...
Bestiary Of The World
BEAR—Bears are awesomely strong and cannot be easily killed. Their
blows are powerful, especially in hand-to-paw combat. Luckily, they are
generally clumsy and slow. It is'best to avoid them, and never advisable
to allow yourself to be tackled by one. They are most disagreeable
creatures.
BULL—Bulls are strong, especially ones with the Minotaur's blood in them,
and are definitely unfriendly. They are best battled with a sword or avoided. Finding the secret passage around the Minotaur will avoid bloodshed.
CRAB—I know of a crab who pines for the sea shore, and is likely to blame
anyone it spots for its imprisonment. Although not especially powerful
nor damaging, its strong shell is very effective armor. The crab waddles
slowly sideways.
DRAGON —Dragons are very powerful beasts and are uncommon. Their
fighting effectiveness increases greatly with age. Although they will
never serve another creature, not all dragons are interested in attacking
adventurers from the surface. They may be an invaluable aid to you.
15
FELINES—Tigers, lions and jackals are fast and dextrous. Their speed
generally makes them difficult to hit, except for the larger lion. The tiger
islhe most skillful of the bunch, but the lion is the most damaging when
it attacks. They owe an allegiance only to other felines and consider
most other creatures part of their diet.
GREASIES—Among the world's "greasies" are the Blob, Slime, and the
dreaded Oozing Stenchbeast. These are generally large and powerful
greasy occupants of the underground, known for their indiscriminate
destruction of other creatures, and their slow messy propulsion. All of
them are more dangerous when directly on top of you, and will attempt to
engulf you as soon as possible.
OWL—Owls really have no desire to lose their life in senseless battles, and
will flee for the nearest exit whenever they see a warrior. Most owls are
lousy fighters, and are not very strong. They are acquainted with all
secret passages and may show you the way through illusions to an invisible door.
RAM—There is an enchanted ram, made powerful and dangerous by the
magic of the Sultan's late astrologer. His horns are more dangerous than
the trampling of his hooves.
RAT—Rats are all too common a sight. The disgusting creatures are
generally weak, slow, and not too dangerous. However, some rats are
worse than others, especially the ones that dwell deeper in the mountain. Because of their small size, they are difficult to hit. Their weakness
makes them fairly easy to dispose of if you are able to tackle them.
SCORPION—Scorpions are generally slow, but their poison can be deadly.
They have only fair strength and dexterity, and can often be eliminated
before they are able to strike successfully. Their tough skins offer them
some protection.
STATUE—Statues come in many forms. Some just sit where they are and
never do anything. Some will attack anything in range, and a few are
spelled to attack your enemies and to let you pass unharmed. The only
thing common to all statues is that they never move.
SUCCUBUS—A succubus is a very attractive spirit who will attempt to get
very close to you. In close contact, her touch is deadly. Not especially
strong nor fast, she will try to lure you close with her sly approach or offers of treasure.
SWORD—The enchanted swords you may see cannot be directly controlled. They act on their own, usually as guards for special entrances or
treasure. Most are ineffective at very short range, and can be destroyed if
you are able to get on top of them.
The Bane of Thieves is a sword specifically enchanted by the late
astrologer to protect his personal hideout from the numerous thieves
and other beasts that plagued him. On the astrologer's death, the Bane
of Thieves mysteriously disappeared. Rumor has it that it will return only
when a pure-hearted adventurer is in dire need. It is the only sword
capable of movement on its own.
UNICORN—The unicorn is a highly magical beast, friendly to the forces
of good, and always ready to rid the world of evil. Never tameable, the
powerful unicorns are extremely skilled and magically difficult to hit.
WANDERER—The wanderers are a series of semi-intelligent machines
designed by Herr Grendel, a foreign inventor currying favor with the
Sultan. They were meant to attack thieves, so that they could be introduced into the mountain, and rid the Sultan's domain of villains of the
realm. Unfortunately, the wanderers would just move aimlessly and attack anything they came close to.
Grendel came up with three models, Sun Wanderer, Earth Wanderer
and Sky Wanderer, but he was only able to increase their speed, not their
intelligence. When Sky Wanderer attacked the Sultan during a
demonstration, Grendel and his wanderers were buried in an old mine
shaft.
Their current whereabouts are unknown. Their metal cases protect
them somewhat against attack.
WOLF—A fast skillful fighter, the wolf is no friend of other creatures.
ZOMBIE—A zombie is an undead corpse, animated by a necromancer
usually to guard a treasure. They are very slow and clumsy, but can be
deadly if they are ever lucky enough to hit anyone. They are not known
for their intelligence. Physically, they resemble the humans they once
were.
16
17
BATTLE SPECIFICATIONS
Strike probability
Whenever any character tries to strike another character, the game will
compute his chance of success. Any character's base chance of striking
his victim is 3.125% times their dexterity. Thus, a player with a dexterity of
11 has a 34.375% chance of striking his victim. However, the base chance is
adjusted by several factors:
If the victim is:
particularly difficult to hit
(halflings and elves have this ability to dodge)
subtract 12.5%
particularly easy to hit.
add 12.5%
extremely easy to hit
add 25%
unconscious
add 75%
down (unconscious, in hand to hand combat, or resting).. . .add 18.75%
currently resting (this is in
addition to the adjustment for being down)
add 9.375%
defending
subtract 9.375%
attacking
no adjustment
running
subtract 3.125%
on the same space with attacker, the stronger character is
is given an advantage
add 1.5625% times attackers strength and
subtract 1.5625% times victim's strength
The chance of striking the victim is then adjusted, if necessary, so that it
is never less than 3.125% nor greater than 96.875%.
If the attacker misses, the attacker's turn ends and the victim is unhurt.
Strike Force
If the attacker strikes the victim, the game will calculate the force of the
blow. If the victim is next to the attacker (on an adjacent square) the attacker's melee weapon power will be used. If the victim is on the same
space as the attacker, the attacker's hand-to-hand weapon power will be used. Players generally carry a dagger for close combat and a sword or axe for
melee combat. The force will be calculated as if the game built a die with as
many sides as the weapon power, rolled it twice, added up the two die rolls,
and subtracted one from the total. Thus, an attacker with a weapon power
of 6 could do from 1 to 11 points of damage, with 6 being most likely. This is
as if two six-sided dice were rolled, and one was subtracted from the total.
(2D6- 1 is the common fantasy role playing game parlance for a weapon
power of 6).
Strike effects
The force of the blow may be reduced by the effects of armor or an
animal's tough hide. The armor effectiveness is subtracted from the force
of the blow. If this reduces the force to zero or less, the victim is unhurt.
Otherwise, the victim will suffer a loss of constitution equal to the adjusted
force.
If a victim's constitution falls to zero or below, the victim is dead and will
depart. If a victim's constitution falls below three, he will drop unconsious
18
to the floor and will not be able to do anything except lie there and rest until
he is killed or his consciousness is regained. If a victim's constitution falls
below eight, they will be identified as 'feeling rather weak.' If their constitution is eight or more, the screen will claim they have 'plenty of fight left.'
If the victim's constitution falls below his strength, he can rest to attempt
to restore his health.
Tackling a foe
If you wish to fight an opponent in hand-to-hand battle, you must move
onto their space (or wait for them to move onto you). Your move has a
chance of success equal to fifty percent plus your strength time 3.125 percent, less your opponents strength times 3.125 percent. However, you will
always have at least a 12.5% chance of success or failure. If the opponent
is down, his strength will be considered to be zero. If several opponents occupy the space, their strengths will be added together. Note that a party of
adventurers can minimize the chance of being jumped if they all get on the
same space.
Once you tackle an opponent, all characters on that square fall down to
the ground in a wrestling free-for-all. This makes it relatively easy for additional characters to jump into the fracas.
Retreating from a hand-to-hand combat depends entirely on luck. Each
retreat attempt has a fifty-fifty chance of succeeding. If you do retreat, you
will be up on your feet again (unless you are jumping from one hand-to-hand
combat directly into another). Anybody left behind will remain on the
ground until their turn. At that time they will stand up if conscious and if
sharing the space with only friends.
19
CHARACTER TABLES
owl
zombie
bear
rat
greasy
bear
rat
3
4
5
3
RUNNING
SPEED
DEXTERITY
ARMOR
MELEE
7
3
9
5
5
3
6
7
10
1
5
6
10
1
8
6
5
2
6
9
3
9
7
3
0
13
8
1
10
2
0
1
2
3
0
0
2
0
1
0
3
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
2
0
12
7
6
8
6
6
6
8
8
6
8
7
15
17
15
12
15
17
11
16
17
8
16
15
13*
15
8CC
110
8*
8
11C
11*
8
5
8
5
12
3
4
6
3
6
6
2
2
2
2
4
1
4
1
4
2
1
3
2
3
2
rat
elf
6
18
13
9
halfling
12
thief
thief leader 16
elf
12
bull
16
thief
10
owl
6
thief
15
5
wanderer
6
halfling
statue
8
1
sword
20
unicorn
thief
16
elf
10
statue
10
statue
10
scorpion 12
rat
3
31
dragon
bear
20
11
thief
14
thief
human
18
thief
6
thief
13
12
thief
owl
5
elf
16
thief
10
thief
16
thief
10
thief
12
21
<
10
6
3
6
7
4
7
6
7
10
6
9
6
3
8
4
4
7
8
9
9
6
16
16
9
3
13
10
6
8
10
4
7
7
2
8
6
9
6
5
5
4
6
9
5
8
6
8
8
7
10
7
3
9
4
4
6
3
6
9
7
16
16
9
3
9
12
7
8
7
5
7
8
1
9
7
9
7
4
0
11C
_ . RUNNING
SPEED
owl
thief
human
sword
13
10
8
8
14
20
8
6
16
16
4
13
14
12
8
13
20
3
24
16
3
5
8
8
4
5
5
10
9
2
4
8
9
1
7
7
7
2
5
crab
bear
3
10
24
6
13
25
12
16
12
21
10
6
15
10
22
16
10
20
16
10
15
15
12
3
48
30
11
14
18
6
13
12
5
16
10
16
10
12
DEXTERITY
thief
14
20
12
6
16
16
4
13
14
8
8
13
20
3
22
16
3
15
WM
LEVEL
20
3
LU
ARMOR
ram
8
10
X
16
rat
am
HAND-TOHAND
Ali Baba
Alp Arslan
Aries, the ram
Attar
Baby Owl
Bahram
Bairam Medio
Bane of Thieves
Barn Owl
Big Zombie
Black Bear
Black rat
The Blob
Brown Bear
Brown rat
10
15
13
10
8
WEAPON POWERS
NAME
Bull
Calico rat
Cancer, the crab
Cavebear
Cave rat
Celegorm
Cinder
Codadad
Cogia Houssain
Curufin
Dauntless Minnie
Dinarzade
Doctor Who
Douban
Earth Wanderer
Eldo
Enchanted statue
Enchanted Sword
Equus
Feroze
Ganadrinil
Gemini I
Gemini II
Giant Scorpion
Gray rat
Green Dragon
Grizzly Bear
Hafiz
Hakim
Haroud El-Large
Haroun AI-Raschid
Hasan Ben Sabbah
Hatim Tai
Hoot Owl
Huan
Ibrahim
I ram
Jalal-ud-din
Jami
CREATURE
TYPE
bull
CONSTITUTI
AM
CREATURE
TYPE
human
thief
human
thief
thief
-thief
'human
thief
human
thief
c
CONSTITUT
NAME
Abdalla
Abd-us-samad
Abou Hassan
Absal
Abul-fath
Ahmed
Aladdin
STRENGTH
z
O WEAPON POWERS
STRENGTH
The more daring players will prefer to learn their enemies' strengths and
weaknesses first hand. For those who prefer to play with more exact
knowledge, the character tables give precise attribute values.
The characters in the table are alphabetized by NAME. The bestiary
describes the various CREATURE TYPES. STRENGTH affects a character's
ability to open doors, tackle opponents, and run past foes. If a character's
CONSTITUTION drops to zero in battle, he dies. The WEAPON POWERS for
MELEE and HAND TO HAND combat indicate the average force of a
blow, and are explained further in the BATTLE paragraphs. A character's
ARMOR protects him from attacks. A creature's DEXTERITY determines its
attack chances and when it takes its turn. Creatures with an asterik next to
their dexterity have an unusual ability to dodge attacks. Creatures with one
or two C's next to their dexterity are easier or very much easier to hit. No
character can move more than its RUNNING SPEED in a single move. If a
character has an entry under WM LEVEL, it is a wandering monster that
may appear on the listed level (1-4).
0
14*
11C
7CC
16*
14*
16*
15
15*
12*
14
15
16
14
18
21*
13CC
14
27*
11
17*
17
17
12
9*
10CC
6C
12
9
11
13
10
15
13*
11*
11
15
7
13
6
3
4
6
10
6
8
0
8
10
5
12
7
5
8
0
0
9
6
9
0
0
6
6
12
4
6
6
7
4
4
6
9
9
8
8
6
7
4
0
1
1
2
0
3
3
3
3
0
1
4
0
0
0
2
2
1
0
0
2
0
5
2
2
2
0
4
3
2
0
1
0
0
2
0
WM
LEVEL
4
1
2
4
3
2
3
2
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3
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1
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QUTiLrry SOFTWARE
6660 Reseda Blvd., Suite 105, Reseda, CA91335
(213)344-6599